Explore the galleries

World Cultures galleries

How can you travel around the world without leaving Scotland? By visiting our World Cultures galleries.

The objects on display are drawn from some of museum’s oldest collections and demonstrate Scotland's international links. The galleries are organised by theme, both offering insights into the individual cultures and providing unexpected juxtapositions.

Galleries to visit

A child interacting with a dressing game in a museum gallery.

Patterns of Life

Location: Level 1

Patterns of Lifeexplores the dynamic interaction between people and their possessions throughout the stages of life, from across the four continents. Possessions can reflect identity, mark important life events, and serve as a means of expression, such as the modern African custom of choosing a coffin in the shape of a favourite object.

Visitors interact with the Tibetan prayer wheel, on display on Level 1 in the Living Lands gallery

Living Lands

Location: Level 1

Living Lands presents objects made by indigenous peoples, from the North American Arctic to the deserts of Australia, and considers how landscape influences the way people lead their lives and what they believe. The displays also emphasize the modern situation, through contemporary art such as works by the Australian artist Danie Mellor.

A family of four turning wheels to move a colourful dragon model on a wall above.

Imagine

Location: Level 1

Young children can develop their senses in the vibrant Imagine gallery, by interacting with shapes, colours, patterns and motifs taken from around the world.

A canoe suspended from a ceiling in a museum gallery.

Facing the Sea

Location: Level 3

Facing the Sea is the only gallery in the UK dedicated to the cultures of the South Pacific. The gallery looks at the cultural diversity of this region and explains how Pacific Islanders’ lives are framed by their relationships with the sea. Here you can find our Maori waka, or war canoe, sensitively completed in Perspex by contemporary artist George Nuku.

A row of colourful masks on display in a museum.

Performances and Lives

Location: Level 3

Performance and Lives celebrates the diversity of music, dance and costume around the world. Not only can you see various instruments on display, ranging from classical to folk, but also listen to recordings and play instruments specially made for the gallery by artist Victor Gama.

Inspired by Nature

Location: Level 5

Inspired by Nature examines the ways in which humanity has engaged emotionally, spiritually, religiously and culturally with nature through art. Don’t miss the elegant, evocative poppies by contemporary sculptor Maryam Salour.

A visitor looking at sculpture of a black and red oystercatcher rattle in a glass display case.

Artistic Legacies

Location: Level 5

Also on Level 5, Artistic Legacies illuminates the relationship between artistic traditions and the work of contemporary artists, exemplified by African artist Gérard Quenum’s arresting sculpture L’Ange. 

Visitor looking at a sarcophagus in the Ancient Egypt gallery.

Ancient Egypt 

Location: Level 5

Explore the remarkable culture and achievements of the ancient Egyptians, and come face to face with individual objects and the people who made, owned, and used them, as well as the archaeologists who discovered them centuries later. 

View of a museum gallery with a large bronze sculpture of a buddha in the center.

Exploring East Asia

Location: Level 5

In Exploring East Asia, you can experience the sights and sounds of three fascinating and dynamic cultures: China, Japan and Korea. Among the highlights are a Chinese lacquerware rice measure from the Ming dynasty, a Japanese suit of samurai armour from the late Edo period and a rare and important early survival Korean lotus-shaped cup and stand from the 13th century. 

Object highlights

Stories from the galleries

  1. A black and white image of a pyramid in a sandy landscape. There is a yellowing label to the left of the image with handwritten notes scrawled on it.
    Discover

    Casing stone from the Great Pyramid of Giza

    This block is one of the few surviving casing stones from the Great Pyramid of Giza, built for King Khufu. It is the only pyramid casing stone on display outside Egypt.Khufu was the King of Egypt around 2500 BC. He is also known as Cheops,…
    Keep reading
  2. A gold and black coffin of an Egyptian woman photographed against a black background. The coffin features a female face wearing a headdress.
    Discover

    The Qurna Burial: The discovery of a royal woman’s grave in Egypt

    In 1908, an intact burial of a woman and a child was discovered in Qurna, Thebes, Egypt. Over a hundred objects were found in the burial, but the identities of the woman and child are a mystery.The find was made by a team of Egyptian…
    Keep reading
  3. A pair of long silver earrings with turquoise circles and coral leaf like shapes photographed against a black background
    Discover

    Native American Jewellery

    Navajo and Pueblo jewellery originates from the Southwest United States. It is denoted by, though not restricted by, its use of turquoise and silver. National Museums Scotland (NMS) has early and contemporary examples of this jewellery.…
    Keep reading
  4. A man wearing navy overalls and a bandanna carving into a decorative piece of wood in a workshop
    Discover

    Bringing a Māori waka taua back to life

    Māori craftsmanship and museum conservation bring to life one of our most unusual and intriguing objects.How did the waka come into the collection?The Māori waka taua (war canoe), was first added to the museum’s collection in 1854. It was…
    Keep reading
Browse all stories

Gallery accessibility

Getting to the galleries

Lifts and escalators

Lifts are available to all floors of the museum. You can check the museum map or ask a member of the Visitor Experience team for the nearest lifts. Information on lift dimensions is available on the AccessAble website.   

In the galleries

Seating

There are seating options in the World Cultures galleries, either in the form of permanent seats or foldable chairs. Please ask a member of the Visitor Experience team for the nearest seats. 

Lighting and noise

Most of the World Cultures galleries have low lighting levels to protect the items on display. 

The Performance and Livesgallery has musical instruments which can be played.

Check our sensory map to explore all the different sensory experiences in different parts of the museum. 

Large print guides

Large print guides can be found in every gallery of the museum. Please remember to return them after use so that other visitors can use them. 

Facilities

Toilets

Accessible toilets are available on Levels 0 and 3, as well as a Changing Places (U) toilet in the Entrance Hall on Level 0.  You can access the museum map to find those nearest to you or ask a member of the Visitor Experience team. 

Cloakroom and storage

Self-service lockers are located in the Entrance Hall. The lockers come in three sizes which accommodate coats and small bags right up to small flight cases. 

There is buggy storage available in the museum. It is located on Level 1 of the Scotland galleries, behind the Kingdom of the Scots gallery.

Quiet spaces

If at any time you or someone you are visiting with finds the visit overwhelming, a member of staff can direct you to quieter areas in the museum. The sensory map also identifies the quieter spaces.

For full access information for the National Museum of Scotland buildings, find out more on our accessibility page. 

You might also like